According to the national Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, GVSU has increased its number of degrees awarded 91.8 percent compared to the 1998-99 academic year. During that same time, the university’s enrollment grew 42 percent.

Also during that time, public funding for higher education has been a challenge.

“We’re a public institution, we’re in Michigan, yes, I understand the circumstances facing us economically,” said GVSU President Thomas Haas. “That’s why I try to be as efficient and cost-effective as I can be.”

The average appropriation per student to public universities this year was $5,719, but GVSU’s appropriation is $3,026 per student, the least of any public university.

The state has reduced its investment for all public universities during the past decade, Haas said.

Many tactics are important for retaining that talent in Michigan, Haas said. GVSU emphasizes recruiting good students, recruiting good facility and staff, and offering quality services in the classroom and beyond.

Relevant academic programs are also a big part of the university’s growth, Haas said.

“There’s an old adage in hockey: You do not try to hit the puck where it is right now, you hit the puck where it’s going to be,” he said. “One of the things a university has to do is look ahead with its partners.”

Along with the K-12 school districts and community colleges, the for-profit and nonprofit business communities are significant partners in looking ahead, Haas said.

One area GVSU has been focusing on when trying to attract and retain students is the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and math. Some of the degrees included in that focus are engineering, information technology and business, Haas said.

A particularly successful area has been health-related degrees.

“For instance, we might have over 200 fully qualified people for a physician’s-assistant program, but we can only take about 25,” Haas said. “So we’re getting the best and the brightest. The focus on those types of relevant programs has really aided in our recruitment efforts and our retention efforts.”